Designing for a Community, Not Just a Client: Inside the Mount Tam School Project
Photography: Emily Hagopian Photography
What should a school look for in an architect for a new campus building? Look for an architect who can plan a campus in phases, build around the school calendar, and steer the project through local approvals. At Mount Tamalpais School in Mill Valley, Michael Heacock Architects led a Use Permit update with Marin County Planning, then delivered a 15,000-square-foot renovation in a single summer and a new 4,600-square-foot middle school building in six months.
The harder part is that a school is not one client. Students, teachers, staff, parents and neighbors all use the campus differently, and the design has to work for each of them.
What did the Mount Tam School project include?
The work was planned as one campus master plan, built in two phases.
Phase 1: renovation and addition to the original 1956 building. This 15,000-square-foot project reworked the heart of the campus, which began as a public school building in 1956. It included:
A new, secure front entrance, with the front office moved next to it so families and visitors are greeted as they arrive
Two new classrooms created by reimagining existing space, which helps the school keep its small class sizes
Improved natural lighting and a modernized HVAC system
The "Wash Hall," which turned the original 1950s lower-school bathrooms into an accessible, all-gender space with floor-to-ceiling stalls
A renovated staff kitchen and work area
Site work and utility upgrades to prepare the campus for the next phase
West Broadway Building Co. built Phase 1 in two and a half months over one summer, and it was complete in August 2024.
Phase 2: a new middle school building. The following year brought a new 4,600-square-foot middle school with five classrooms, four offices, an outdoor classroom and gender-neutral restrooms. Phase 2 also added outdoor nature-play areas and an outdoor classroom vegetable garden. Construction took six months.
How do you renovate a school campus in a single summer?
A summer schedule leaves no room for surprises, so most of the work happens before construction starts.
Get the approvals right first. Michael Heacock Architects and land use attorney Riley Hurd led a coordinated Use Permit update with Marin County Planning, so both phases had a clear path.
Plan the campus, then the buildings. A master plan let the school build in two phases without redoing work, and Phase 1's site and utility work laid the groundwork for what followed.
Choose materials that are ready and code-compliant. The campus sits in a Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) zone, so materials were selected to meet strict WUI fire requirements from the start.
Keep decisions moving. Strong leadership from Head of School Andrew Davis and tight project management kept a compressed schedule on track.
The result was delivered on time and under budget.
What does designing for a whole school community mean?
It means asking who uses each space and what they need from it, not only what the program lists.
For students, the Wash Hall shows the idea best. Instead of separate, closed-off restrooms, students share an open hand-washing area under a redwood-forest ceiling, with a mirror shaped like the outline of Mount Tamalpais. Private, full-height stalls give each student privacy, and staff can keep an eye on the open space.
For teachers, the focus was a calm room to teach in. Natural light and sound attenuation make classrooms quieter and easier to concentrate in, and the renovated staff kitchen gives faculty a place to plan and connect.
For families and visitors, the new entrance and front office make the school's first impression welcoming and secure, with admissions staff right at the door.
For the neighborhood, the new buildings were designed to sit comfortably beside the existing architecture and the surrounding landscape, so the campus reads as one place rather than a set of additions.
What can other schools learn from Mount Tam School?
Three lessons carry over to any school planning a building project:
Plan the whole campus first. A master plan let Mount Tam School build in two phases, with Phase 1's site and utility work laying the groundwork for Phase 2.
Treat approvals as part of the design. Updating the Use Permit with Marin County Planning before construction gave both phases a clear path.
Design for everyone who uses the campus. Students, teachers, families and neighbors each shaped the decisions, from the Wash Hall to the front office.
For Michael Heacock Architects, the measure of a school building is how well it serves that whole community, day after day.
Frequently asked questions
Who was the architect for Mount Tamalpais School in Mill Valley?
Michael Heacock Architects of Mill Valley designed both phases: the renovation and addition to the original 1956 building and the new middle school building.
How long did the Mount Tam School renovation take?
Phase 1, a 15,000-square-foot renovation and addition, was built in two and a half months over one summer and completed in August 2024. Phase 2, a new 4,600-square-foot middle school, took six months.
Can a school stay open while its campus is renovated?
Yes, with careful phasing. At Mount Tam School, the largest renovation was scheduled for summer break, and the new middle school was built as a separate building.
What approvals did the Mount Tam School project need?
The project required a Use Permit update with Marin County Planning, led by Michael Heacock Architects with land use attorney Riley Hurd.
What is an all-gender wash hall?
It is a shared hand-washing area with private, floor-to-ceiling stalls that any student can use. At Mount Tam School it replaced the original 1950s lower-school bathrooms.
Project credits
Architect: Michael Heacock Architects, Mill Valley
Builder: West Broadway Building Co.
Land use attorney: Riley Hurd
Client: Mount Tamalpais School, Head of School Andrew Davis
Photography: Emily Hagopian Photography
See more of the project: Mount Tamalpais School Phase 1 and Phase 2.
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